Promoting the life and legacy of Rachel Carson, 5/27/1907 - 4/14/1964. Fostering a culture of Sentinel Lions who share Rachel's ethics and values. Working for sustained political and cultural change to prioritize public health.

11/25/13

Center for
Effective Government Across the nation, 167 industrial
facilities currently store & use hydrogen fluoride, a dangerous and
highly toxic gas. But what is it? And is it in your neighborhood?

...Safer alternatives to hydrogen fluoride exist
for use in oil and gas refineries. However, it seems most companies will not
adopt these safer alternatives voluntarily, despite the fact that millions of
residents could be harmed by explosions. The Center for Effective Government
continues to urge the EPA to use its authority to issue new guidance on the
regulation of hydrogen fluoride and hundreds of other toxic chemicals stored at
facilities situated near residential communities. Concerned citizens
should examine our
map of these facilities to see if their communities are at risk
and advocate for safer alternatives. You can also make your
voices heard by signing a petition asking the EPA to issue new
guidelines.

11/21/13

The "Dirty 100" are the 100 orphaned wells that are ranked as having the highest priority for the need of permanent plugging. They are leaking oil or Natural Gas, are currently causing an environmental problem and may also present a hazard or concern to human health and safety. These wells are orphaned wells, which means that the well's operator of record is no longer a viable responsible party. In other words, the companies that extracted minerals from the wells no longer exist so the responsibility of dealing with the wells now rests on the State of Louisiana. The State of Louisiana charges the Oil and Gas industry a fee of one and one-half cents ($.015) for every barrel of oil and condensate produced, and three-tenths of one cent ($.003) for every thousand cubic feet of gas produced which goes to the states Orphaned Well Program . This allows the Louisiana Orphaned Well Program to deal with approximately 160 wells per year. There are currently 2820 wells identified as orphaned wells in need of permanent plugging in the State of Louisiana.